Maya 4.5 fundamentals (with CD-ROM)

The essentials of Maya 4.5, including workflow and best practices, for every new user and early adopter.

• Concise coverage of key product and workflow information.
• Publishing at the right time to capitalize on the major growth of the Maya Marketplace.
• Written by Maya beta testers and experienced trainers--a winning combination.

Maya 4.5 Fundamentals takes the user from a review of 3D fundamentals to a working knowledge of creating content in Maya 4.5. Topics covered include the interface and primary tools, modeling with NURBS and polygons, applying materials and textures, lighting, using modifiers and deformers, animating scenes, using cameras, rendering stills and animations, and using particle systems, dynamics, and paint effects. New features in 4.5 are also included in this updated and expanded version. Special appendices cover making the change from 3ds max or LightWave to Maya. Video-captured movies on the accompanying CD supplement the tutorial foundation of the book and will provide a salient selling point. The most exciting thing to be included on the CD is the video-captured tutorial movies created to supplement the tutorials in the book. This feature alone has the equivalent value of several training videos. In addition, the CD will include project files and color screen captures.

Jim Lammers has been deeply immersed in 3D for the past decade, producing effects for the Sony/Tristar film Starship Trooper and animation for clients such as McDonalds, Sprint, and Nestle. He is an accomplished trainer, having taught numerous classes and produced several training videos on Maya and 3ds max. His company, Trinity Animation, is an Alias/Wavefront reseller offering support and training for their Maya customers. Lee Gooding has helped Trinity Animation produce its Max to Maya Quickstart training package. He is currently pursuing a degree in 3D computer graphics at Purdue University.

Introduction. Part 1: A QUICK-START GUIDE TO MAYA.. 1. Pre-Maya: A Primer. In This Chapter. Color Basics. Image Composition. Lighting 101. Cameras and Perspective. Directing 101. Computer Graphics Primer. Bibliography. Summary. 2. A Tour of Maya. In This Chapter. Maya Overview. The Maya Interface. The Hotbox. Summary. 3. Maya Interaction. In This Chapter. Creating Objects. Selecting Objects. Transforming Objects. Duplicating Objects. Deleting Objects. Pivot Points. Temporary Snapping. Hierarchy. Displaying Objects. Summary. 4. Diving In: Your First Animation. In This Chapter. Starting a New Project. Creating Scene Elements for Your Project. Adding More Animation to Your Scene. Adding Materials and Lighting Your Scene. Finishing the Scene. Summary. Part 2: MAYA BASICS.. 5. NURBS Modeling Basics. In This Chapter. What Are NURBS? Marking Menus and the User Interface. Creating the Old House. Summary. 6. More NURBS Modeling. In This Chapter. More NURBS. Summary. 7. Modeling with Polygons. In This Chapter. Character Modeling with Polygons. Creating the Creature¿s Head. Summary. 8. Materials. In This Chapter. Materials Overview. A Tour of Hypershade. Basic Material Types. Material Settings. Adding Basic Materials to Your House. Texture Mapping. 3D Paint. Adding Texture Mapping to Base Materials. Bump Mapping. Summary. 9. Lighting. In This Chapter. Why Is Lighting Important? Available Light Types in Maya. Shadows in Maya. Common Light Attributes. Summary. 10. Animation Basics. In This Chapter. The Animation Tools and Interface. Types of Animation. Using the Graph Editor. Playblasting Your Animation. Summary. 11. Character Animation. In This Chapter. What Is Character Animation? Creating Skeletons. Inverse Kinematics. Skinning. Animating Your Character. Building Repetitive Motion with Trax. Blend Shape Animation. Summary. 12. Cameras and Rendering. In This Chapter. Cameras. Previewing with Playblast. Rendering an Animation. Setup for Rendering. Summary. Part 3: GOING FURTHER WITH MAYA.. 13. Paint Effects. In This Chapter. Paint Effects Overview. Working with Strokes. Summary. 14. Particle Systems and Dynamics. In This Chapter. Rigid-Body Dynamics. Particles. Soft-Body Dynamics. Summary. 15. Your Next Steps: Efficiency and Artistry. In This Chapter. Why Is It Taking So Long to Render? Batch Rendering in Maya. Workflow Enhancements. Compositing. Installing Third-Party Plug-ins, Materials, and Scripts. Creating Your Own Material Libraries. Parting Thoughts. Summary. Part 4: APPENDICES.. Appendix A. Maya Headstart for Max Users. Differences in Viewport Navigation. Differences in the Control Interface. Differences in Viewport Mode and Layout. Differences in Working with Objects. Differences in Creating and Editing Models. Differences in Scene Organization. Differences in Modeling Aids. Differences in Lighting. Differences in Materials. Differences in Creating Animation. Differences in Previewing and Rendering. Post Effects. Environmental Effects. Scripting. Particles and Dynamics. Import/Export from Maya to Max. Appendix B. Maya Headstart for LightWave Users. Global Differences. Differences in Viewport Navigation. Differences in Control Interface. Differences in Creating and Editing Models. Differences in Lighting. Differences in Materials. Differences in Creating Animation. Differences in Previewing and Rendering. Post Effects. Import/Export from LightWave to Maya. Index.